Loyola at a Glance

Loyola University welcomes accomplished centennial class

Loyola University New Orleans is expected to welcome more than 700 freshmen today at 4 p.m. during its convocation ceremony for new students at Holy Name of Jesus Church.

Undergraduate classes start Monday, August 25.

Enrollment for the incoming freshman class, which will be the hundredth class to graduate from Loyola, has increased approximately 40 percent over last year’s total of 503 freshmen. The centennial class is expected to be the largest freshman class at Loyola since Hurricane Katrina.

Vice President for Enrollment Management and Associate Provost Salvadore A. Liberto said his staff had its work cut out for them, but they kept their focus on recruitment.

“Our growth in new student enrollments can be directly attributed to the hard work of the admissions and financial aid offices, our engaged faculty and student life teams and expanded outreach nation-wide,” said Liberto. “We also know that families fall in love with Uptown New Orleans when they visit, and we’ve seen many more visits to our campus over the last year.”

Loyola’s new students are a smart, diverse mix, more than 50 percent of whom hail from outside Louisiana. The majority of out-of-state freshmen come from Florida, Texas, California, Missouri and New York. In addition to an overall increase in class size, enrollment of students of color has also risen significantly. Thirty percent of the centennial class are first-generation college students.

Academically, the class of 2012 is quite accomplished. Almost 60 percent of students in the freshman class were in the top 25 percent academic standings in their high schools. The class’ average GPA is 3.74, up from 3.52 last year. Incoming freshmen ACT scores also rose slightly to 25.71, up from 25.29 last year.

“The best students—the most accomplished, the most intellectually curious and the most passionate about social justice—crave what we offer here: the education of the whole person, in this beautiful setting, with access to one of the richest cultures in the world,” said Liberto. “Here, the world is literally our blackboard, as curricula engage the wider community in exciting and purposeful ways.”

“Our centennial class is a special one,” Liberto said. “It owns the responsibility and the honor of transforming first themselves and then the world. There is no question that they are up to the challenge.”

Freshmen will gather on the main lawn in front of Marquette Hall for a group photograph immediately following Friday’s convocation, bearing signs reading “1912 - 2012” to mark the occasion.

Loyola at a Glance is written and distributed for the faculty, staff, students and friends of Loyola University New Orleans. It is published by the Office of Public Affairs, Greenville Hall, Box 909, 7214 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118. (504) 861-5888.

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